Oregon vs UCLA CBB Picks
The Oregon Ducks and UCLA Bruins both began the 2013-14 NCAA basketball season on fire, but it’s the latter that has kept momentum going with the year now coming to an end. Both UCLA and Oregon have four games remaining, but it’s the Ducks who have the most on the line. [ad-4468020]
Oregon (18-8, 6-8 Pac-12) @ UCLA (21-6, 10-4)
Thursday, Feb. 27 11:00 PM ET ESPN2 Pauley Pavilion
Spread: UCLA -7.5 / OU 155.5
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Tournament positioning is still important for the Bruins, but the team from Eugene is fighting to get back on the right side of the bubble with a good finish down the stretch.
Oregon
After starting the year 13-0, the Oregon Ducks have gone just 5-8. Pac-12 competition hasn’t been kind to the team from the Pacific Northwest, but luckily for them, they’re riding a three-game winning streak—their longest since Jan. 2—and they have a bit of momentum entering their matchup with the UCLA Bruins.
The last time these two teams faced off, Oregon had lost five of its previous six contests.
The game was better than most expected, with the final score being 70-68; unfortunately for the Ducks, they finished the night on the wrong side of that tally.
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In that matchup, the Ducks did a solid job all across the box score, but more offensive production will be necessary in Round 2.
Oregon held a potent UCLA offense to just 70 points, but scoring 68 and shooting 33 percent from downtown won’t cut it, as the Bruins are sure to bounce back as well.
UCLA
As much as the Ducks will need to bounce back on offense, the same narrative applies to UCLA.
They’re currently the ninth-ranked team in college basketball in terms of points per game, but the Ducks are getting back Damyean Dotson, who is one of their four players averaging at least 10 points per contest.
Specifically on offense, the Bruins must be more efficient than they were the first time they met the Ducks.
On the year, they shoot 49.5 percent from the field (ninth in the country) and 40.5 percent from the three-point line (sixth in the country); however, they shot just 45 percent from the field against the Ducks while knocking down just three of their 12 long-range attempts (25 percent).
The Bruins are the better defensive team this season, which will give them the upper hand in this one, but it really does come down to offense. Combine a solid offensive performance from both teams with home-court advantage for the Bruins, and you get another entertaining matchup end in UCLA’s favor.
Prediction: UCLA 79 – Oregon 75
